That's the Way Life is
by Planet Mads
Summary: Xiaolin Showdown. As the friendship between Raimundo and Kimiko grows stronger Kimiko finds her feelings for the boy changing. RaiKim.
1. Chapter One: Food Fights & Tickle Attack

Author's Notes: This is my first Xiaolin Showdown, it is Raimundo/Kimiko. So if you don't like that pairing I suggest you turn back now. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown however the plot does belong to me. 

That's the Way Life Is.

Chapter One: Food Fights and Tickle Attacks.

            Kimiko was annoyed, very very annoyed. But the most annoying thing about her being annoyed was the fact that she didn't have a reason to be annoyed.  So what if that girl had kissed Raimundo for saving her, I mean she would have done the same thing if Omi or Clay had saved her, right?  Of course she would have! She was a tart, that was all, just a stupid tart. She didn't see why they had to save her anyway; they should have just left her to fall fifty feet and be splattered against the rocks at the bottom. Growling Kimiko hurled her video game across the room; it hit the wall and landed on the floor with a clatter.

"Kimiko you okay?" Clay poked his head round the door, looking worriedly at his friend. His eyes landed on the video game lying by the far wall. 

"Yeah, I'm just . ."

"Angry?" Clay suggested as he stepped inside.

"Just a bit." Kimiko said looking down at her cover.

"Would it have any thing to do with that lass we just saved?" Kimiko grunted and stood up, dusting her tunic off. Clay chuckled, looking down at her knowingly.

"What?" She snapped, she hated being kept in the dark especially when it was something about _her_.

"I think that you got a case of the green eyed monster."

"Huh?" Kimiko said just as Raimundo ran in. She jumped and spun round to face the brunette.

"Come on its lunch." He declared, flashing them a smile he walked out again. The pair followed, though Kimiko nearly walked into the wall a number of times on the way to the kitchen. She was lost in her thoughts; Clay had meant that she was jealous. But jealous of what?

            "Water please."

"Coming atcha." Clay said, grabbing the jug of water and giving it a push down the table. It skidded to a stop in front of Raimundo who smirked and poured himself a drink before shoving the jug back down the table.

"Do you guys have to be so childish?" Raimundo looked beside him where Kimiko was sitting with a glare on her face.

"Lighten up a bit Kimiko; we're not even doing anything dangerous." She humphed and went back to her food.

"Yeah I swear you've been grouchy since we got back form getting that Shen Gong Wu." Clay said, waving his spoon around for emphasis. She glared at the blonde, knowing that he knew more about her reason for being angry than _she_ did.

"I agree you have definitely been more moody than usual." She humped again, why couldn't she just keep her mouth closed? Then they wouldn't be ganging up on her. A piece of rice landed on her cheek. She turned and glare at Raimundo who smiled innocently at her.

"What's the matter Kimi?"

"Don't." His innocent face vanished to be replaced with a mischievous one.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" She glared, her eye narrowing fiercely though for some unknown reason she had an odd fluttering in her stomach.

"I'll get you back."

"Ah but that would be being childish." Raimundo said as he took a mouthful of rice. A spoonful of the stuff slammed into his face, some falling down the back of his top. Omi stifled a laugh while Clay chuckled; the brunette now had flakes of white decorating in his hair. Raimundo turned round to face a triumphant Kimiko, one eyebrow raised. She flashed him a smile and took a mouthful of her own food. She shrieked when Raimundo dumped his whole bowl of food on her head. She could hear Clay and Omi laughing at her but she didn't mind . . . that much. She was more concerned with shoving the handful of rice in her hand down Raimundo's top.

"You are dead Rai!" He laughed, grabbing her wrist as it came towards his top. He grabbed her other one when she went to make him let go of her arm. Blinking she growled and threw all her weight against him. The pair toppled off the bench, Kimiko landing on Raimundo. Though he still hadn't let go of her hands which was the whole point of knocking him off the bench.

_Though it feels nice to be in his arms. _Kimiko blinked, where had **that** thought come from? Her lack of concentration on her fight made her loose her upper hand, she suddenly found herself pinned beneath Raimundo's body.

"Face it Kimi, you've lost." Raimundo said, smiling down at her.

"Okay fine, you win. Now get off me." Raimundo chuckled and leaned backwards, letting go of her wrists. She paused a second before throwing the handful of rice in his face. They locked eyes for a few seconds before the girl shrieked, jumped to her feet and bolted out the room, Raimundo hot on her tail. Leaving Clay and Omi behind to finish their meal, though Omi noticed that Clay was smiling more than usual.

            Kimiko yelped as she sprinted down the corridors, Raimundo a few steps behind her.

"Go away!" She yelled as she skidded round a corner, nearly crashing into a pillar.

"Not a chance!" He called as they ran out the temple and into the garden. She screeched when he tackled her, his arms wrapping round her waist as the pair landed on the ground. Placing her hands against his chest she pushed, desperately trying to squirm out of his grasp.

"Let go!" She shouted, twisting in his arms. She froze when she felt his lips hovering above her ear, his breathe warm, making her earlobe tingle.

"Not gonna happen." She felt a blush rise in her cheeks, why was she blushing? Her and Raimundo fought like this all the time, what was so different about today?

"Hu hum." The pair froze when they heard someone coughing and looked up sheepishly at Master Fung. Who was standing before them with an eyebrow raised. He had every right too, they're position didn't look that innocent. Raimundo was lying on top of Kimiko, arms round her waist and face buried in her hair while she had her hands against his chest. It only just struck her then how much it looked like she was feeling his abs. Now that she thought of it, he _did_ have nice abs. The blush rose in her cheeks once more. What was the matter with her mind today? 

"What are you two doing?"

"Fighting." Raimundo said and as if to prove his point Kimiko tried to wriggle out of his grasp, causing him to hold onto her tighter.

"Very well. But don't have another food fight again any time soon or I might have to punish you." He turned and walked away towards the temple.

"How'd he know we had a food fight?" Raimundo asked looking down at the girl beneath him.

"We have food in our hair. Duh." Kimiko said smiling abruptly, evilly, very very evilly. Raimundo suddenly considered running away screaming but then again that would mean she would have won. And he couldn't let her do that. But the look on her face now would have scared even the most bravest of fighters away.

"Mind you, you look so adorable like that. Just like a cute little baby." She cooed at him, Raimundo blinked; he should have run. He hated being called cute; it was something that he despised, completely, utterly, totally. Basically he hated it.

"I wasn't going to do this but you've made me."

"Made you what – Ah." She squealed as Raimundo removed his arms from her waist and brought then to her side. Wiggling his fingers back and forth he began to tickle her. He had discovered she was ticklish when they were sparring once, he had pinned her and in doing so accidentally brushed her side. She had shrieked in laughter before quickly closing her mouth; hoping that he hadn't worked it out. Sadly enough for her, he had. He had used it against her for the past three months and had threatened to tell Omi and Clay about it so they could use it against her to. Not that he would really, he enjoyed tickling her for some reason. Though he never dwelled on that thought, he had learnt a long time ago that trying to work mysterious things out like feelings was a bad idea.

"Mercy." She yelled at the top of her voice when she finally managed to get enough breath back in her lungs. Stopping, he rolled off, lying beside her in the grass. 

"Anyone ever told you that you were horrible?"

"A number of people actually." Raimundo said, smirking at her, Kimiko rolled her eyes before sitting up and staring at the sky.

"Look a rabbit." She said, pointing up at a cloud that vaguely resembled a rabbit. Raimundo raised an eyebrow and turned to give her an odd look.

"Please tell me you aren't cloud gazing." Kimiko smiled at her friend, who rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked, grabbing a fistful of his trousers, preventing him from leaving.

"Away."

"Stay here with me." She asked, her eyes widening, tears gathering in them as her bottom lip trembled. He sighed and sat back down again, he couldn't refuse her when she sent him that look. Most of the time he was fine but he hated to see her upset even if she was only pretending. The very idea of it made him feel _funny_. He didn't know quite how to describe the feeling over overwhelming protectiveness and anger that welled inside him. He usually ended up hurting the people that had made her sad. Like recently, she had befriended and ended up dating a boy that lived in the manor further down the mountain form them. They had gone into town on a shopping trip and had spotted him making out with another girl. Before Kimiko had a chance to react he had gone over there, pulled the couple apart and proceeded to beat the guy up. She had watched in satisfaction as the boy groveled at Raimundo's feet before she landed a couple of punches herself.  The pair were supposed to have met up with Omi and Clay round about then and gone home. But Raimundo had led her to a café where he had bought her a chocolate milkshake, her favorite drink, and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. They had left three hours late and had to climb up the hill to get home as Dojo and the others had already left. And when they had gotten back Raimundo had told Master Fung it was all his fault and had spent the evening washing dishes. He hadn't known _why_ he had done it, he just had. Kimiko had thanked him for it later though and that had made cleaning all those dishes for four hours seems worth it. Rolling his eyes he flopped onto his back, eyes searching the clouds for an animal looking one. He spotted what looked vaguely like a giraffe and pointed it out to Kimiko who smiled in delight.

"Look there's a dog." She said, pointing at an odd looking cloud.

"Can't see myself."

"That's cos you're looking at it wrong." Raimundo tilted his head to one side, looking at the cloud which suddenly resembled a more dog-like shape.

"See." She said, in an 'I know all' tone.

"I see; that's what eyes are for idiot." Kimiko lightly whacked Raimundo's stomach for that comment. Not that he really minded. His eyes traced the skyline, looking for anything interesting.

"This is so sad." He declared moment's later, gaining himself another slap to the stomach. He ignored it and continued his search for cloud shapes, closing his eyes in delight when the breeze blew past him. He looked over at Kimiko when the sound of teeth chattering reached his ears. He had always been more immune to the cold than other people and wind was his element so it didn't affect him as much as the others. While Kimiko was fire, she always preferred to be warm rather than cold.

"Cold Kimi?"

"A little." She said round chattering teeth; rolling his eyes he wrapped an arm round her shoulders pulling her closer. She rolled over onto her side, one hand lying across his chest as she absorbed some of his body heat.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah." She mumbled, cuddling up to him as the pair resumed their gazing at the skies. She didn't understand what she felt or why she felt it. But she didn't care; the delighting warmth that was spreading throughout her as she lay next to him was all she cared about at the moment. Closing her eyes she allowed herself to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

_To Be Continued . . ._

Hope you enjoyed it, I think the characters are a bit OOC but I'm trying my best. Tell me if you really think I've messed them up. MM.


	2. Chapter Two: A Bad Day

Author's Notes: I think Omi is a great character, the only nasty bits about him are from Raimundo and hey, the guy teases him 24/7 in the show. What do you expect?

Disclaimer: On first chapter.

Chapter Two: A Bad Day. 

            Kimiko woke up in the morning to find herself wrapped up in her bed. She could have sworn she fell asleep in Raimundo's arms. The vague memory of being carried through the corridors to her room came back to her. Pulling back the covers she realized that Raimundo had removed her shoes and the outer layer of her tunic for her.

_Cute._She started, since when was Raimundo cute? Shaking her head she told herself it was just because she hadn't woken up yet. Her mind was still clouded with sleep. Nodding to herself she quickly changed and walked down the corridors of the Temple towards the kitchen. She grinned as she walked in; her eyes taking in the forms of her friends slumped against the table top. She smiled, grabbed her breakfast, practically skipped over to the table and sat down.

"You look happy." Dojo commented, slithering across the floor towards them. She nodded and started to spoon the food into her mouth. She paused a moment to talk to the two before her.

"Sleep well?" She smiled when Clay raised his head from the table and glared at her. Served him right for teasing her yesterday.

"I didn't but it looked like you did." He muttered resentfully, allowing his head to drop back onto the table.

_Well who wouldn't when you had Raimundo as a pillow? _She mentally groaned, what was the matter with her? Why was her mind popping up with these kind of things at exactly the wrong moments and why was it right! It had been nice falling asleep in Raimundo's embrace but why was it? Her good mood dropped considerably when she realized she was going to have to spend today working it out. She yelped when a pair of hands covered her eyes for a second, or course there was only one person that wasn't here that was that childish.

"Raimundo!" His laughter filled her ears as he sat down beside her and suddenly she felt happy again. Why should she be sad when she had Raimundo around? Scolding him quickly she went back to her food. Today was going to be fine.

            Today was not fine, nope, not in the slightest. Not at _all_. How could she have thought that? She ached. All over. There wasn't a part of her that didn't hurt. She groaned, not willing to move even if there was another Shen Gong Wu. Master Fung was making them do a special kind of training that needed a lot of mind control. And today she wasn't focused in the slightest. Her mind was more on the Raimundo matter than her fighting skills. Which is probably why she had been beaten so badly.

"Need a hand?" She pried her eyes open to see Raimundo standing before her, hand outstretched. She nodded slightly and extended a hand towards Raimundo. He pulled her to her feet and she wobbled and would have fallen over again if she hadn't landed against his chest.

"Ow." He chuckled, gently taking her by the shoulders and holding her away from him so he could look her in the eyes.

"You feeling okay? Cos the Kimiko I know doesn't get beaten that badly, especially at the hands of _Omi_." Kimiko smiled a little, it hurt her cheeks to smile properly at the moment. She felt like she had been smacked round the face a couple of times with a baseball bat.

"Jus' not thinkin' too straight today." She murmured to the brunette. 

"You are troubled young one?" She turned her head as much as she could, which was only a centimetre or two, to see Mater Fung standing before them. His gaze filled with concern as he looked down at her.

"It's nothin' I'm just not with it today."

"Very well." He said, his gaze turning to Raimundo. "Perhaps you can take her to her room then?"

"Sure thing Master Fung, I'll be back in a bit." Gently wrapping an arm round her middle, he tenderly placed her arm over his shoulder and began to help her out the room.

            Twenty minutes later and they had just gotten to the end of the first corridor and they had about seven more to cover. When Kimiko asked to have a rest Raimundo snapped, she was surprised he hadn't done so earlier. He wasn't known for his patience.

"That's it!"

"What's it?" Kimiko muttered tiredly. She yelped, whether it was out of shock or annoyance she didn't know, when Raimundo bent down and picked her up, bridal style.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you a break." He muttered and started walking down the corridors, Kimiko in his arms.

"I didn't say you could pick me up." She declared indignantly, crossing her arms and turning away from him. Or turning away as best as you can when someone is carrying you.

"What you gonna do about it?" She turned round to utter a scathing retort and found that she couldn't think of anything. The smirk on Raimundo's face grew at her lack of words. She glared, sometimes she hated that boy.

_True, but you love him most of the time. _She jumped at that thought, what was her stupid conscience on about now? Sighing, she decided it was best not to think about it at this moment and allowed herself to relax in his arms.

            She found herself being gently lowered onto her bed minutes later when they had finally made it to her room. She watched him as he searched for something, she wasn't sure what otherwise she would have told him where it was.

"Rai what are you looking for?"

"Medical box."

"Bottom draw of my chest of draws." He nodded and pulled it open, retrieving the white and red box as he seated himself across from her on her bed. Pulling out some antiseptic and some cotton buds he gently began to tend to her wounds, starting with the ones on her face. He gently dabbed at her cheek, as if she was a porcelain doll.

"What's up with you Kimi? Omi completely kicked your ass." He asked as he started to on her arms.

"You didn't do to well yourself."

"Least I beat the guy." He muttered under his breath as he began bandaging her arms.

"Yeah well you usually do better, so tell me Mister 'I'm the Best Fighter Here' what's up with you? Got too many girls throwing themselves at you and you can't keep up with the fanmail?" The moment the words left her mouth she knew she shouldn't have said them; she didn't why she did anyway. He was only being concerned. One thing was for sure he wasn't concerned about her any more. She could tell by the way he tied the bandage that much tighter and how he shoved the pieces back in the box before practically hurling it in the draw and storming out the room. She stared at the door as it slammed shut. Why had she done that? She didn't know, all she did know was that Raimundo was annoyed with her. Something that she found herself hating. Sighing she threw herself backwards on the bed. Today was defiantly not a good day.

            She peered round the corner, her eyes taking in the appearances of her three friends. Well two friends, seeing as technically one was annoyed with her, he was probably going to start hurling insults at her when she entered. But you can't hide forever. She walked into the room.

"Hey Guys! Hey Raimundo!" She got replies from the other two but the third picked his bowl up, dumping in the sink and walking away without seeing a word. _I stand corrected, he's ignoring me. _She dropped into her seat, staring dejectedly at the table.

"Hey Kimiko, you okay?"

"No."

"I'm sure whatever it is, it can't be that bad. Go cheer yourself up." Kimiko sighed, usually when she was upset she would talk to Raimundo but she couldn't now could she? So she was pretty much well done for. Slamming her head against the table top she realized she had to do something about this. A life without an annoyed Raimundo was one thing; a life with a Raimundo who was so upset with her that he was ignoring her was another thing entirely. Standing up she strode determinedly out the room, she would find Raimundo and apologise. It was easy to apologise, right?

            Kimiko sighed, she should have been in bed hours ago but the adrenaline coursing through her wouldn't let her rest. She had to find Raimundo! She wouldn't rest until she had. Mind you the adrenaline was running out and her feet were now dragging across the floor, her shoulders sagging.

"Child, should you not be in bed?" She spun round to see Master Fung standing by a doorway, arms folded. Why did he always pop up like that?

"Probably, do you know where Raimundo is?" Master Fung smiled the same smile that Clay had sent her the other day in her room. What did people know that she didn't?

"He is in the training room."

"Thanks Master Fung." She said, hurrying off towards the training room.

Opening the door she could see Raimundo taking his anger out on a punch bag. He had obviously been there a while he was sweating and had stripped down to the black muscle shirt he wore under his tunic. She ignored the fluttering her stomach as she walked towards him. She stopped a few feet away and stood there just watching. He was strong; she knew that from the times he had kicked her butt. But she never noticed before that he _looked_ strong. She could his muscles rippling beneath his top as he slammed his fists into the punch bag repeatedly.

_That is what I call Delicious. _Knowing her thoughts were only going to continue down the road to drool-dom, which she certainly couldn't allow she walked over.

"Hey." Her voice was quiet, barley audible over the slamming of the punch bag. He looked at her over his shoulder before turning round to face her.

"Hey."

"Wanna spar?"

"Sure, why not." He said moving into the middle of the room with Kimiko. They began; punch, kick, duck, retreat. Punch, kick, duck, retreat. They had a habit of sparring when one of them was frustrated; it helped to take out your anger before a battle. Instead of bottling up until you got into a Shen Gong Wu fight and managed to loose a Wu because rage was clouding your mind. Even when you were just upset, it helped to take it out and then have someone there to comfort you. Her eyes landed on Raimundo's face as they fought and she found herself weak at the knees suddenly. Beads of swear trickled down his face while his hair fell into is eyes. Eyes that she suddenly realized were beautiful, a deep forest green. She abruptly found herself on her back, arms pinned to the floor. She looked up at Raimundo, who didn't comment on her lack of fighting skills instead he just sat there. His gaze scrutinizing. Kimiko sighed; there was something seriously wrong with her. She just couldn't concentrate, especially with him so close to her. But why was he affecting her this way?

"Again?" He asked getting up; she stared up at him from the floor.

"And get thrown to the floor yet again? No thanks." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly as she scrambled to her feet. The pair wandered over to the sides, where benches ran around the room. Dropping onto them, they sat there in silence.

"Raimundo, about earlier-"

"It's okay. I shouldn't have been so pushy." He said, flashing her a small smile. She fought the urge to dance round the room screaming happily and instead settled for a smile. They were fine, everything was fine. Except for all the weird feelings she was having and the fact that there was something troubling Raimundo.

"Hey Rai?"

"Hm?"

"What's been bothering you?" Raimundo leaned backwards, closing his eyes.

"It's just that . . . today's my little sister's birthday and well . . ."

"Oh ouch." Kimiko said, she was an only child so her leaving to train at the temple meant that her parents just called her all the time. Sure she missed them sometimes but she was saving the world, she didn't really think about them that much. Raimundo's parents hardly ever called, she was guessing they were busy with the circus and making sure that his little sister didn't miss him. They had been here for months, which meant that Raimundo hadn't seen or heard from his younger sibling for at least half a year. She searched her brain for something to make him feel better; he looked so forlorn that she couldn't bear to see him like this for another moment.

"I know! Why don't me and you go shopping tomorrow? We can buy your sister a really nice present and then we can take it to her."

"Do you even know where my circus is?" He asked dryly but she could hear a hint of excitement in his voice. He obviously missed his family more than he let on.

"I'll look it up on the web and we can get Dojo to fly us there. How about it?" He smiled at her, a proper smile not one of his usual smirks or his 'ha I'm better than you' smiles. A proper genuine smile. All for her and no one else. She found herself suddenly on cloud nine, especially when he gave her a quick hug. Which made the smile on her face larger, she guessed she looked like a complete idiot like this but she didn't care. Raimundo didn't _do_ being nice to people. So while getting a hug from Clay or Omi was normal, getting one from Raimundo was something special.

"Shall we go to bed now? We'll have to get up early tomorrow if we're going shopping."

"Sure thing Kimi." He said, quickly grabbing his stuff and walking out the room with her. Perhaps today wasn't so bad after all.

_To Be Continued . . ._

It's sorta short and all but I'm trying my best. I'll see if I can make the next chapter longer. MM.


	3. Chapter Three: A trip to the Circus

Author's Notes: It's kinda short seeing as I felt I need to post something and I've been busy lately with my revision and exams. So it may take a while for the next chapter but hopefully not too long.

Disclaimer: On first chapter.

Chapter Three: A Trip to the Circus.

            Raimundo stared at the busy throng of people before him. He hated shopping. He usually refused to go shopping at all unless it was for new clothes and if he did go he had a habit of complaining 24/7. But this time it was different, this time he was shopping for his little sister. So he squared his shoulders and stepped towards the first shop he saw, prepared to face the utter horrors of shopping for her.

"No! That shop's awful." Kimiko said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. She flashed the annoyed brunette a happy smile and started to drag him in the other direction. Raimundo rolled his eyes; he knew he should have gone alone. Bringing Kimiko on a shopping trip was just asking for trouble. They were probably going to end up spending the whole day here and he was going to have to carry all her stuff home for her. He had done that last time; his arms had hurt for days.

"So what are you looking for?"

"I dunno." Raimundo said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just something girlie that she would like."

"Could you be any more vague?"

"Yes." He declared, she glared at him and stopped, causing Raimundo to nearly crash into her.

"Aright, seeing as you aren't being specific we're going to have to check out all the good shops in search for something nice."

"_All_ the shops?"

"Yes, all. Now come on." She said pulling him into the closest decent shop she could see. Raimundo sighed, he was in for trouble. He knew it, not only was he shopping but he was being dragged around by a _girl_. He was so dead if people worked out who he was. He would never live it down.

            "Let's just face it, there's nothing here she would like."

"Don't be silly, I'm sure we'll find something." Kimiko said, though she was beginning to wonder the same thing herself. They had spent the last two hours shopping and they hadn't bought anything. Which was a miracle in itself, she had had to fight the urge to buy so many nice outfits. But she had forced herself not to; they were here for Raimundo not her. It had taken a lot of will power but then she had remembered that it would make Raimundo happy and it had seemed a lot easier. Rolling her eyes she grabbed Raimundo's wrist and began pulling the boy along the street, though he made it harder for her by just standing there and not bothering to try and move a muscle. Clenching her teeth together she continued to walk until Raimundo stopped suddenly. Pulling her backwards, she landed against him.

"Rai what are you doing?" He pointed to the window; she looked as well and found a smile spread across her face.

_It's perfect. _With that thought the pair wandered into the shop.

            Raimundo clutched the box tightly in his arms as Dojo flew towards the ground. Kimiko poked him in the back; he looked over his shoulder and received a reassuring smile. He nodded and turned back round as Dojo dipped beneath the clouds. Landing on the ground they hopped off, Dojo shrinking to his normal size and wrapping himself round Kimiko's arm. The two walked towards the multicoloured tent and with every step Raimundo found he was getting more and more nervous. The pair walked inside the doorway and into the main tent; there were no shows on this early in the morning. Raimundo looked round his eyes landing on the man blowing fire in the middle of the ring.

"Hey Claude. Where's my family?" The man stopped, turning to face the brunette and the pink haired girl.

"Round the back, in their caravan. When did you get back kid?"

"I'm just here for a visit." He nodded and went back to eating fire. Kimiko stared in surprise at him for a moment before following Raimundo through the back. He weaved his way through the people and caverns like it was a second nature. It probably was.

"Rai, where are you?" He shook his head. _Stupid Raimundo, of course she couldn't keep up with you, she hasn't been doing this her whole life like you. _Doubling back he found her being observed by the fortune teller, who staring at Kimiko, her eyes unblinking. _Creepy. _Grabbing Kimiko by the hand he pulled her through the mob.

"Sorry 'bout her, she's kinda weird like that."

"Right." They arrived outside a cavern, it was light blue in colour and had beautiful picture painted all over it. Raising a fist he knocked on the door. There came a delighted squeal and an "I'll get it" from inside. The door opened to show a six year old standing on the doorstep, she had brown hair like Raimundo's but it was tied in two pigtails. She had amber eyes and was dressed in a green summer dress. Her eyes widened when they landed on Raimundo, her small mouth curving into a smile.

"Rai!" She leapt off the stairs and into her brother's arms, who dropped the present in the process of catching her.

"Watch it Squirt, I might drop you." He said, smiling as he spun her around. She giggled, wrapping her arms round his neck.

"What you doing here?" She asked, running her small fingers down the side of Raimundo's face before latching onto his shirt collar.

"I came for a visit." She nodded, burrowing her head in his chest. "I also brought you a present." Her head shot up, eyes dancing with excitement.

"Present?"

"Yep, you gonna open it?" She nodded, jumping down and began to tug the ribbon off. Raimundo watched her, obvious adoration in his eyes. She pulled the lid off and gasped, inside was a pink outfit, one that looked like it was made for ballet. It was scattered with sequins and glitter, the perfect princess outfit. It even had a tiara. She squealed and started dancing round her older brother. He chuckled, bending down and scooping his sister into his arms.

"Thank you!Thankouthankyouthankyou!" He smiled at her.

"Don't thank me Caio, it was Kimiko who got the idea for the princess outfit." The small child looked over his shoulder at the girl standing behind him. Caio waved her hand at her, Kimiko smiled and waved back.

"Come on Rai; let's go get some candy floss." Grabbing her brother by the hand, she paused a moment to toss her present inside and grab Kimiko's hand as well before running off. Dragging them with her.

            Kimiko's laughter rang through the air as they wandered through the Temple Gardens. She had candy floss in one hand and she was using the other to hit Raimundo upside his head.

"You're an idiot!" He laughed and batted her hand away before quickly stealing some of her candy floss.

"Hey!"

"You snooze, you loose." She stuck her tongue out at him; he laughed and stuck his own at her. Caio had dragged them round the circus, making them get all sorts of goodies. Not that Kimiko complained, they got most of it for free being part of the circus and all but if they didn't, Raimundo had paid. Caio was energetic, like Raimundo, but didn't have his mischievous edge. She was more angelic and innocent. Lost in her thoughts Kimiko didn't notice Raimundo taking her candy floss, when she did however it caused a lot of commotion.

"Give that back!"

"Make me." The two friends glared at each other, before Raimundo took the intuitive. He turned and ran. Shrieking she ran after him, chasing the brunette all across the grounds. Master Fung watched with a knowing smile from the window. Shaking his head he turned to Dojo who was watching in delight as the two fought over the candy on the bridge.

"Push him in." He muttered under his breathe and she did just that.

            Raimundo spluttered as he sat in the freezing cold water of the pond. He stared up at Kimiko in surprise.

"What was the point in _that_?"

"Duh." She said leaning over to stick her tongue at him. "It got you back for stealing my candy floss."

"True but you now can't eat your candy floss." He said gesturing to the floating pile of pink goo beside him that had once been her food.

"Oh." She said in surprise, that hadn't been part of her plan.

"Yeah oh. Now give me a hand up." He said, stretching his hand up. She was about to help him when she pulled away, a thought hitting her.

"I'm not stupid. If I help you up, you'll pull me in too." She turned away, her back facing him as she crossed her arms. "You can't fool me, I-Ah!" She turned round, pushing her now wet hair out of her eyes as she went to glare at him.

"What the . . .?"

"Not stupid, huh? You should know by now Kimiko that you can't turn your back to an enemy in battle." He said, splashing her in the face once again. Growling she dropped to her knees and splashed him back, he smirked. She found out why when he leaned forward grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her in. She flipped over and landed on her back, spitting out the water along with a bit of pond weed, she rounded on the now laughing Raimundo. Shoving him backwards she ducked his head under the water, smiling in triumph she was unprepared for the boy to grab her round the middle and throw her off him. She glared at him for a second before the war began.

_To Be Continued . . . _

I hope you liked it. If you're wondering Caio belongs to me, I just thought Raimundo would make a really cute older brother. Hee. MM


	4. Chapter Four: A Good Nights Sleep

Author's Notes: Here it is, the fourth chapter of That's the Way Life is. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: On first chapter.

Chapter Four: A Good Nights Sleep.

Kimiko pulled the covers firmly over her head as she lay there, listening to the storm. After her and Raimundo had battled it out in the pond they had gone inside and gotten dressed before grabbing a hot drink. She had noticed that it had started to rain but it wasn't important, then. But the rain had gotten heavier and the winds more ferocious and it had turned into a huge thunder storm that was shaking the very foundations of the Temple. Whimpering to herself she curled into a ball under her blanket. Trying desperately to tune out the sound of the thunder.

Raimundo loved storms, when he was little he had a habit of sitting on the windowsill and staring at the sky all night. The rest of his family hated them, they had a right to. Storms usually pulled down the circus tents, meaning that they would have twice the amount of work the next day. He didn't want his family to think he was odd; he got enough of being different from the kids in the towns they passed through. So he had contented himself with just watching them at night and pretending to hate them in the day. He just loved them, however tonight he loved his sleep more. Which was why he was sprawled across his bed, sleeping the night away without paying much attention to anything, including the dazzling display outside his window. So he was annoyed when he heard someone knocking on his door. Pulling himself out of his bed, he padded across the cold tiling to the door.

_Please not another Shen Gong Wu and not at this time of night! _He opened the door to find Kimiko standing there, a blanket wrapped round her shoulders. She looked sheepishly at him.

"Can . . . can I come in?" He nodded and stepped aside, allowing the petite girl to pass him by. Sitting back down on his bed, he looked at Kimiko who was fiddling with the corner of her blanket.

"Err . . . Kimiko?" She looked up and sent him a fake smile.

"Hey Rai, shall we have one of those cool midnight talks? You know where-" He had covered her mouth with his hand, effectively silencing her.

"What are you doing here?" She pulled away from him, her eyes suddenly interested with the pattern on his covers.

"Well, I couldn't sleep." She muttered, just as she did so a loud roll of thunder sounded in the distance. She jumped, a small squeak of fear passing her lips. A smirk rose on Raimundo's lips.

"You're afraid of the storm, aren't you?"

"N . . No." He smirked, there was a loud cracking sound and a bolt of lightning struck the ground near by. Kimiko squealed, her hands latching onto Raimundo's arm.

"Okay so maybe a little. Stop laughing." Raimundo paused in his quiet chuckled to look at her and frowned. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear, the grip on his arm was tight but shaking slightly. She really was terrified. Sighing he lay down, pulling her with him.

"Fine, you can stay in my room but you better not interrupt me from sleeping. Got it?" She nodded and lay down next to him, wrapped up in her own blanket.

They lay there for about five minutes before another lightning bolt scorched the sky, Raimundo jumped when he felt Kimiko launch herself into his back. Fighting the urge to groan in annoyance he rolled over and found that the girl had buried her face in his chest instead. The glare on his face softened, he couldn't get annoyed with her. She was just scared; rolling his eyes he poked her in the shoulder. He was getting soft, seriously. Since when had it become his job to comfort terrified girls?

"Kimi? You okay?" She looked up at him, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"No." He chuckled, typical of her to be blunt.

"Why are you scared?" She rolled over, propping her chin up on her hands thoughtfully.

"When I was young I went out on a walk with my family, it started to rain so they sped up to get somewhere dry and along the way I managed to loose them. We hadn't been walking in a very big wood but when I was little it seemed absolutely gigantic. I sheltered under a tree, not wanting to get wet and hoped that my parents would come back for me. They didn't.

"The tree wasn't that good a cover so I moved away to go and find a better shelter. Just as I did so a bolt of lightning struck the tree. It didn't really get me but I was young, so I checked myself over. Just to make sure that the lighting hadn't made my hair stick up on end, like in the cartoons." Raimundo snorted at that point, a small smile flickering across his face. He understood, he would have done the same thing as well.

"I was concentrating on myself more than the tree. I didn't notice it was falling till to late. I tried to get out of the way but couldn't. I was caught under one of its branches." Kimiko rolled over, now looking at the ceiling, fingers once again toying with the material on the bed.

"It wasn't a thick branch so I wasn't hurt too badly but I blacked out. I woke up the next morning to find people trying to remove the tree from on top of me. I came down with hypothermia as well as getting a broken arm. I've been scared of storms since." Silence descended upon the room as she finished which was broken seconds later by her. She gave a small squeak of surprise when Raimundo pulled his blankets over her; she rolled over and faced him. The boy gave her a warm smile before wrapping an arm round her waist, pulling her closer.

"You don't have to been scared, I'll protect you." He whispered in her ear, she smiled, breathing in his scent as she snuggled closer to him. A warmth flooding her as she placed a hand delicately on his shoulder. He was right, she didn't have to be scared anymore. She didn't understand what she what was going on with her at the moment; all she knew was that she felt completely safe in his arms. She felt content and happy, not the least bit frightened of the storm outside. And that was all that mattered.

Kimiko woke up feeling warm and for once completely at peace. Like the feeling she had in the morning after Raimundo had put her to bed but greater. She snuggled closer to her pillow, face buried in the warmth, she could faintly hear a heart beat.

_Wait, warmth? Heart beat?_ Her eyes snapped open as her memory came rushing back, she looked up. Finding herself peering into the content face of Raimundo. She smiled, an action that Raimundo appeared to be making her do a lot lately, and gently traced the side of his face with her fingers. He looked so happy and innocent; much like his Ciao had done yesterday. She smiled to herself knowing how Raimundo would react to being called innocent. Brushing a stray lock of hair from his face she tried to pull away but Raimundo tightened his grip, mumbling something in his sleep. She paused, fighting with herself, she needed to get up and get ready for training so she really should just wake him up, he wouldn't be embarrassed. However she was enjoying these feelings. His arms being wrapped round her possessively was for some odd reason making her happy. She felt very special at this moment in time. Like she had been awarded with some grand prize. Struggling in an internal battle she hadn't noticed that he had woken up until she felt someone tug on one of her pigtails.

"Hey." She turned round and stuck her tongue out at him, thanking the gods that her problem had been decided for her. He let go of her waist, causing a disappointed feeling to rise in her chest. She fought it down and got off his bed, grabbing her blanket, she wrapped it round her shoulders. She looked back to the bed, where Raimundo was still sprawled across it.

"If you don't get up, you'll be late for training." He smirked at her, waving a hand indicating that she could hurry along.

"I won't be and even if I am it doesn't matter." Shaking her head Kimiko left the room, walking back down the corridors.

She didn't notice the man in the corner, watching her from the shadows. Or hear the dragon, that was wrapped around his neck, words.

"They are so made for each other."

"Everything in time, my friend, everything in time."

Kimiko raced down the corridor towards the training room, she was late. She wouldn't have been if it was for Raimundo, even when he wasn't there he could still get her into trouble! Her feelings, in short, were a tangled mess; she needed help. Serious help. She had thought what she had felt last night through a few times and realised that _wasn't_ something you felt around a good friend. Which is why she had sent an urgent text message to the one person that could help her; Keiko. She had stayed in her bedroom, hopping from one foot to another as she waited for a reply. Hoping that she would answer before training started. However she hadn't and Kimiko had waited a little too long for an answer. So now she was left with sprinting down the corridors towards the training room. She threw the door open and was met with the annoyed look of Master Fung along with Dojo.

"Sorry I'm late Master Fung." His eyes locked onto hers and she felt as if he was reading her mind. He seemed to know so much and was so very powerful, she wouldn't be surprised if he could.

"It's alright Young Dragon." He said with a sigh as he found whatever answer he was looking for in her, "Come sit." Nodding she jogged over to the circle, taking her place next to Raimundo.

"I thought you said _I_ was going to be late." He muttered out of the corner of his mouth. She growled at the back of her throat, making a promise to get him back later.

After making sure she had elbowed Raimundo on the way out of training she had wandered to her room to find she had an answer to her text.

'Call me.' Rolling her eyes she picked up her pink telephone, hitting the speed dial button as she collapsed onto her bed.

"Hello?"

"Hey Keiko, it's me."

"Hey girl, okay what's with the 911? You mentioned that you had some boy trouble."

"Yeah, you remember Raimundo?"

"The Brazilian kid?"

"Yeah. Well, he's a good friend of mine but . . ."

"But?"

"But recently I've been feeling you know, _different_ around him."

"What kind of different?"

"Well, I'm really happy around him, I get that fluttering in my stomach when he's near me and I just generally want to spend time with him." Keiko laughed down the phone.

"Girl you know what that is."

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do. Quit denying it, you like him more than a friend."

"I what?!" Kimiko yelled down the phone, sitting up in surprise. Keiko was joking, she had to be.

"Come on, stop being so dense. You like the guy, you . . . Hold on." She could hear Keiko mumbling to someone in the background. "Hey girl, I gotta go. You should tell him you like him or something. Bye." The dialling tone rung in Kimiko's ear, tell Raimundo that she liked him? Not that she actually did, of course.

_'Quit denying it, you like him more than a friend.' _Keiko's words floated across her mind. She didn't like him did she? She couldn't . . I mean this was Raimundo she couldn't possibly like him.

_Stop lying to yourself. You like him. _Oh god, her conscience was right. She liked Raimundo . . . a lot. Groaning Kimiko burrowed her head in her pillow. When had her life got so messed up?

Raimundo sighed as he walked down the corridor. He was worried about Kimiko, for the last two days she had been depressed, ever since she got that call from her friend. That was about as much as he could get out of her before she had practically fled the room. She seemed to be avoiding him at all costs. What was confusing him the most though was why she was avoiding him. He hadn't done anything, that he knew of anyway, so why wouldn't she so much as look him in the face? Frustrated and annoyed, he wandered around the grounds aimlessly. Trying his best not to think of her or anything related to her. Which was rather difficult seeing as they were living under the same roof. Shaking his head he stared out over the pond. Which reminded him of the time they had a water fight, groaning he slapped his hand against his forehead. Why wouldn't life just give him a break?

"Something troubling you there partner?" He nodded at Clay who came to stand beside him on the bridge.

"Would that something have anything to do with Kimiko by chance?"

"How did you guess?" He mumbled sarcastically, folding his arms across the railing, burying his face in them.

"Well, you look sadder than a fluffy cat caught in a thunder storm. Tell me, what is it 'bout Kimiko that's making you upset?" Raimundo considered telling the blonde to mind his own business but then again he might be able to help. And even though he hated to admit it, he needed help if he was going to work out what was up with Kimiko.

"She won't talk to me; I don't know what I've done." Clay nodded, his eyes looking out at the pond to see if it held any answers. It didn't. Raimundo had checked.

"If you ask me she's just going through some personal problems or something. She probably needs a friend but is too proud to ask for help, kinda like you. Why don't you go and see her?" He looked over at Clay; there was something that the cowboy wasn't telling him. But did it really matter? If he thought that Kimiko needed a friend he was willing to go and help her.

"Thanks man."

"No problem." He said as he watched the brunette go towards the house.

"You forgot to mention that the personal problems had something to do with him." Clay turned round to face his teacher, a slight look of fear on his face.

"Don't know what you talkin' 'bout Master Fung."

"Yes you do. But I'd doubt he would have believed you even if you had told him." Dojo said, smiling as he slid out of Master Fung's sleeve.

"Do you think they'll end up admitting their feelings for each other Master Fung, sir?"

"I'm sure they will." The old man said with a smile as he watched the retreating form of the brunette. "I'm sure they will."

"Kimiko?" Said girl lifted her head off her pillow, slowly making her way to the door. She knew who it was; she always knew when _he_ was around. Opening the door she looked up into his concerned green eyes.

_I'd forgotten how gorgeous he was. _She didn't really register that thought as he flashed her half smile.

"You gonna let me in?"

"Sure." She walked over to the pink chair in the corner of the room; dropping into it she waited for Raimundo to start talking.

"You've been avoiding me." He never did beat around the bush. Why would he change now?

_But you don't want him to change do you? _Ignoring the annoyingly always right voice in the back of her head she nodded at him.

"Why?"

"I've just been going through some rough times, that's all." He bent down into a crouch before her, resting his hands on either side of her legs.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" She declared, had she made him feel bad? How could she?! She never meant to make him feel awful as well! _I'm such an evil person! _"It's just me being stupid, alright?"

"Alright." He said quietly. Before a surprisingly, for Raimundo, nervous smile made its way across his face. "Does this mean you'll come to the carnival with me?" He said standing up and smiling at her again, though this time with a bit more confidence. The town, further down the mountain, held a carnival once a year to celebrate the end of winter and the spring beginning. It was really just a way to get people back into a partying mood again after the long cold winter but Kimiko didn't mind as long as they actually had the carnival. They were very good for shopping.

"Why me?" _Stupid mouth, stop asking question. It doesn't matter why he asked the point is that he asked!_

"Well, Omi spends all his time asking questions and I really don't get Clay and all his metaphors. Plus you're a lot more fun than them." She smiled; he was never one to compliment people unless he had to. _Perhaps there's a slight chance that he likes me back._

"Sure, I'll come."

"Great, meet you by the gates tomorrow after training." He said, standing up and flashing her a grin. Kimiko pulled a pillow towards her, hugging it tightly to her chest. This trip would be fun, even if it was only as friends.

_To Be Continued . . ._

If any of you are wondering I didn't make Keiko up (though I hope I spelled her name right.) When Kimiko is talking to people on the phone it usually happens to be her friend Keiko. So I thought, why not include her? If she calls her because she managed to rope a cow then why not when she had boy trouble? Anyway, hope you liked it MM.


	5. Chapter Five: A Carnival and a Kiss

Author's Notes: Raimundo and Kimiko finally get together in this chapter, hope you like it.

Disclaimer: On first chapter.

Chapter Five: A Carnival and a Kiss.

            Kimiko clutched on tightly to Raimundo's hand, trying hard not to blush as he pulled her through the crowd of people.

"You okay?" She looked up, his face was adorned with a happy smile, one that she couldn't help but return.

"Just a little squished." He chuckled.

"Shall we find something to eat and drink before hitting the games?" She nodded, allowing him to drag her through the crowd. He paused when he spotted a milkshake stand, tugging her over he bought two of the largest chocolate shakes there before going down a side alley. Handing her one of the drinks he flashed her a smile before taking a mouthful of the liquid. Kimiko noticed with a blush that they were still holding hands as they walked side by side through the alleyway. Even though there was hardly anyone around.

"What stall do you wanna hit first?" Raimundo asked as they stepped back into the more lively part of the festival. Her eyes scanned the crowd before landing on a booth that had a darts game on it.

"That one." She declared, dragging him over. She quickly forked over the money and had her go, managing to land one of the three darts dead centre.

"Pfft, that was pitiful. Bet you an idiot could beat that." Most gentlemen would have congratulated her on her attempts and offered to win the best one there for her. Raimundo however was definitely not a gentleman and that's the way she liked him. She didn't want some boy that thought that he was tougher and a better fighter than her. Raimundo only said she was a rubbish fighter to get under her skin; she did the same thing in return. It was part of the fun.

"If you're so good than you do it." She said, gesturing at the dart booth with one hand.

"Don't mind if I do." Handing the owner the money he grabbed his darts, he landed the first two perfectly and was about to throw the second when . . .

"You'll never manage it." He jumped when Kimiko said that, just as he launched the dart. It landed a little to the left of the centre.

"Hey!" He declared, turning round arms crossed. "You did that on purpose."

"Point being?" He rose an eyebrow at her innocent expression.

"I'll beat you this time."

"Not a chance." She said, pulling her own money out again as she stuck her tongue at him. Raimundo landed all three perfectly, while Kimiko's were slightly off but still in the centre.

"Draw?" He said, extending a hand to shake on it.

"Draw." She agreed, shaking his hand.

After collecting their prizes, which happened to be four huge cuddly toys that Raimundo was now stuck carrying. They had headed off in search of some food and by food I mean junk food, the kinda stuff that ends up rotting your teeth. The stuff that's actually nice and non-healthy. Wandering down the streets Kimiko seemed to find something to buy at every stall and as much as Raimundo ended up having to carry, he found it funny to watch her jump up and down like a small child.

"Look Raimundo! Pink earrings!" Raimundo rolled his eyes and came to a stop, looking at the pair of earrings that she was pointing at excitedly.

"Didn't you already buy a pair of pink earrings?" She actually already bought six pairs of earrings, so what was a seventh pair?

"Yeah but they were dark pink these are light pink and would totally go with the outfit I'm gonna wear tomorrow."

"I suppose you want me to carry them after you bought them." She smiled happily at him and was about to go and buy them when someone snatched them up. Looking down the duo realised that that had been the last pair. Kimiko's shoulders slumped; she had so wanted them for her outfit! Seeing her unhappy face, Raimundo quickly scanned the crowd for the culprit. Upon finding the guy at the counter about to pay he was going to go over and demand them back when he remembered he was carrying about ten bags. Therefore unable to kick the guy's butt to the other side of the Carnival. Swearing under his breath, he lightly kicked Kimiko to get her attention.

"The guy over by the counter, go beat him up." Smiling happily she dashed over, a minute later after some threatening and a punch to the face Kimiko happily pranced back, earrings in hand.

"Thanks." She said as she slipped them into one of the many bags.

"No problem." She smiled once again and started off. Raimundo rolled his eyes when he heard her squeak something about a cute fluffy pen. Why had he agreed to carry her stuff?

            His hands ached, his arms ached, his shoulder ached and his legs felt like they were about to drop off. Why was he doing this again?

"Thanks so much Rai." Oh yes, that was why. He looked over at Kimiko who was delightedly sorting through her stuff. Or some of it, the rest Raimundo was still trying to find space around their table to put it.

"Can I just throw this all in the bin?" He asked as a bunch of pens fell out a bag and began to roll away.

"You could but that would mean that you would have carried them around all day for nothing." She called as she sat down, her eyes greedily scanning the menu.

_Just my luck that she's right. _Groaning he dropped the last few bags beside his chair before dropping into it himself. Stretching out he sighed, his muscles were cramped after carrying Kimiko's bags for all this time. A waiter wandered over, which made Raimundo blink, the guy was poshly dressed and seeing as it was a small café in the middle of a carnival it didn't seemed right. He shrugged it off, if the guy wanted to be weird let him.

"What are you having Raimundo?" Kimiko asked, glancing over at the boy. He didn't bother to look up.

"Chips."

"Gotcha, can we have a portion of chips and a mini pizza please?"

"Certainly." He said, bowing to them before disappearing inside. Raimundo watched him leave before allowing his gaze to go back to Kimiko, who was shredding a napkin. Why was she so nervous?

"You okay Kimi?"

"Yeah." Her voice was quiet as if she wasn't completely with him.

"You having fun?" Her face brightened as she quickly thought back on the last few hours. He could tell she had enjoyed herself which made him smile, if she was happy so was he.

"It was great! Thanks for buying me that last necklace."

"It's alright, not your fault you run out of money." She smiled again, lifting any unhappiness that might have descended upon Raimundo at having to spend his afternoon shopping. A plate of chips was placed in front of him, which he dug into, hungrily. He could see Kimiko munch away at her pizza form the corner of his eye. She seemed fine. He frowned when she leaned over and snagged one of his chips. The frown soon turned into a smirk when he leaned across the table and took a bite out of her pizza.

"Hey!"

"You took my chips."

"One chip, Raimundo."

"One chip in exchange for one bite of pizza." He said with a smirk. Growling she snatched another chip off his plate, he took the pizza from her hand and took a bite. She took another chip, he took another bite. She glared at him for a while before bursting into laughter.

"You know we fight over the stupidest things."

"I know." Raimundo said, finishing off the slice of pizza in his hands. "It's more fun that way." She laughed at his words, it was true though, their friendship was one of the more _interesting_ aspects of her life. You never knew what mucked up scheme Raimundo was going to come up with next, he kept you on your toes. Which was probably why she liked him so much, she enjoyed a bit of adventure in her life. Or in Raimundo's case, a lot. Slamming the money down on the table top, Raimundo stood up gathering her bags. She smiled, unable to resist the temptation.

"Since when where you a gentleman?"

            She knew that Raimundo would have reacted in someway; she should have been expecting him to leave her to carry all the bags. But even if she had been she wouldn't have expected them to be so heavy. She had nearly crashed into five people after taking a few steps away from the café; Raimundo had taken pity on her and taken over half of the bags off her. So here they were, strolling across a park in the dwindling light, making their way towards the bus which would take them closer to the mountain top where the Temple was.

"Can we miss the bus Raimundo?"

"Isn't that kind of an odd request?" Raimundo said, turning round to give her funny look.

"I suppose, I just want to study the stars."

"It's fine by me but we'll have to walk the whole way back."

"I don't mind." Shrugging he dropped the bags on the floor, flashing Kimiko a smile he looked round for a good spot to star gaze. He spotted a small tree a few metres away, it had hardly any leaves on it and its branches were all curving upwards to the right. Meaning that they could get somewhere to rest as well as being able to see all the stars. Walking over he sat down, pulling his left leg up to his chest he placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. Kimiko joined him in a few seconds, sitting on his right and curling up beside him. Her eyes taking in the velvety sky.

"Can you see Orion?" Raimundo asked, Kimiko looked confused. She was taught how to fight back home but had spent most of her free time with her friends. Star gazing hadn't been something she had ever done before, which is why she had wanted to star gaze tonight.

"What's Orion?" Raimundo smiled slightly, removing one of his arms from behind his head to point at the sky. Unlike Kimiko he had spent a lot of time outdoors, day and night. He could label nearly all the constellations by heart.

"You see that cluster of stars over there? If you look carefully you'll be able to see that it looks like a man." Kimiko leaned forward, her eyes fixed on the bunch of stars that Raimundo had pointed out.

"I see it Rai." She said smiling in delight like a small child might, he chuckled.

"The constellation is called Orion, it's said in Greek Mythology that Orion was a great hunter. He hunted by the river Eridanus and was always accompanied by his two faithful dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor. There were said to also be seven sisters who form the Pleiades and Orion fell in love with one of them; Merope.

"But the lady would not so much as look at him let alone return his love. And one fateful day when he was hunting by the river he trod on a scorpion called Scorpius, he fell ill and sadly enough died. The gods took pity on him so they put him and his dogs in the stars."

"How sad."

"Yeah it is kinda." Raimundo whispered, his eyes slowly tracing Orion's form.

            "Rai?" She poked him in the side.

"Yeah?"

"Are there any other stories like that?" He smiled to himself.

"Lots." She sat up, making sure that she was looking him in the eye.

"Promise to take me stargazing when we're back at the temple. Promise to show me all the star constellations and tell me all the stories." He smiled, sitting up, their faces centimetres from each other.

"Promise." Kimiko's breath was coming in short gasps, he was so close that she could feel his breath blowing across her face.

"I'll show you every single star in the whole galaxy and more." Her eyes were a beautiful blue, like that of the sky on a clear day. Her lips were a soft pink and coming closer.

"Rai?" He didn't answer her quiet question, instead his lips and hers suddenly connected. Electricity shot through both their bodies as Raimundo gently curled his fingers round the back of her head. He usually just went with what he felt and never dwelled on it. But he was certain that kissing your best friend was a very bad thing to do. But she didn't seem to be complaining. Instead she seemed to be enjoying it; she wrapped her arms round his neck, pulling him down towards her. Smiling against her lips he wrapped his arms round her waist, tugging her into his lap. He wanted to stay here forever, with her in his arms and her lips against his. But sadly some things can't last for ever and his lungs were demanding oxygen. Dieing now when he was perhaps the happiest he had been in a while seemed rather stupid. Parting he rested his forehead against Kimiko's, a soft smile spreading across his lips.

"So what does this mean?" Kimiko asked quietly, unable to tear her eyes away from Raimundo's face.

"This means that if you aren't busy this Friday then we could go to the cinema."

"Sounds like a plan." She whispered, her eyes sparkling. She couldn't wait to call Keiko and tell her what had happened she thought to herself just as Raimundo's lips descended upon hers once more.

_On second thought, Keiko can wait._

_To Be Continued . . ._

I am putting up an epilogue and then it's finished. Did you like the kissing scene? I'm not so sure of it myself. If anyone has any tips on it I'd be happy to hear them. MM.


	6. Chapter Six: My Phoneix

Author's Notes: This is set two and a half months after they first got together. I did try to include some more bits on Omi and Clay, they had bigger roles in the first version of this chapter. Sadly it didn't work, this about the fifth time I've rewritten this. I'm still not completely satisfied with it.

Big thanks to Mooncinder for your review. I'll keep that in mind for future stories. Thanks for the tip.

Disclaimer: On first chapter.

Epilogue: My Phoenix.

A few things had changed since her and Raimundo had gotten together, he hadn't stopped being his usual mischievous self. She was glad of that, it was part of the reason she had fallen for him. They way they acted round each other had altered; they still teased each other 24/7. Things were different though like demanding him to kiss her after he had teased her. That sort of thing. Of course, when the others found out they had started making fun of them like crazy. But the pair had gotten their own back.

"Ah!" Kimiko smirked and pressed herself against the wall, making sure she was hidden by the shadows. She could feel Raimundo shaking with repressed mirth as the now soaking wet Omi stood up. Shacking himself of excess water he started down the corridor, prepared to hunt out the culprit. When a bucketful of something gooey fell on his head.

"Yuck!" He declared looking up; he saw a third bucket waiting for him to walk under it. Omi smirked and stepped to the right before taking another step forward.

"Ha ha! Whoever my enemy is has been found out. I shall not have another disgusting substance poured all over me. I-" Raimundo pulled a packet of sweets out of his pocket, taking one out he threw it at the bucket. It wobbled and fell on top of Omi mid-rant. Not waiting to see if his tiger instincts were going to kick in the pair dived out the window and ran across the ground. The moment they were out of earshot they burst into laughter.

Yep, they had most definitely got their own back on them.

Dropping onto the grass, Kimiko rested her head on Raimundo's stomach. Closing her eyes in content as the sun beat down on them. They had played tricks on all three of them, this time though, the tricks had Kimiko's cunning behind them. They had yet to be found out. Sort of. Omi, Clay and Dojo all knew it was them but didn't have the proof to get them into trouble. She smiled when she felt Raimundo idly toy with some of her hair. She sighed contently, life was perfect.

"Come on you two, we have to go to training." Okay, nearly perfect but it was getting there. Sitting up she tugged on Raimundo's top.

"Didn't you hear Clay?"

"I heard." He muttered sleepily, refusing to open his eyes and look at her.

"Then why aren't you getting up?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Rai." She said in a warning tone, glaring down at the brunette. She was rather surprised when his arms snaked up around her waist and pulled her down on top of him.

"Tired. Stay here." He mumbled sleepily. Kimiko frowned, now that she was lying down, in a rather comfortable position she might add, she didn't want to get up. Which of course was Raimundo's plan, she couldn't let him win. Then again, snuggling up with him on a warm summers day didn't seem like that _bad_ a thing. Raimundo solved her inner argument when he sat up, causing the girl to slid into his lap.

"Alright let's go." Standing up, the pair walked hand in hand towards the temple.

"Raimundo is completely whooped by Kimiko!"

"It's whipped Omi and I'm not."

"Yes you are partner, you do everything she says." Raimundo growled in the back of his throat, Clay knew as well as he did that he wasn't whipped. He was just saying it to get under Raimundo's skin, which was working very well so far. Storming through the Temple Raimundo desperately tried to think of some way to loose the pair. Who were taking great delight in annoying their friend as they trailed him. They hadn't left him alone since training ended, which had been half an hour ago. Raimundo wasn't known for his patience and he was fast loosing the little that he had. Anyway even if he did snap, which he was positive was going to be any minute now, nothing would come out of it. Except the pair knowing just how much they were annoying the brunette.

"So Raimundo what has Kimiko got planned for you next?"

"Yeah, you gonna wash her clothes for her partner?"

_Don't let them get to you. Don't let them get to you. Don't let them get to you. _He should have known that they would act this way. Why wouldn't they after all the pranks he played on them? Vowing to himself that he was going to something extra horrible to the pair tomorrow he headed towards his bedroom. His only sanctuary.

"Kimiko and Raimundo, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-"

"Why are you two being so immature?"

_I stand corrected; I have found my other sanctuary. _He smiled, half in relief, half in joy at seeing see her. Kimiko was standing in a doorway, hands on hips, glaring at the two.

"I really thought better of you. That's so childish, what would Mater Fung say if he saw you?" The duo looked down at the ground, shamefully. Raimundo smirked. Kimiko had a way of being able to make people feel guilty and seeing as the two usually had a very overactive conscience it looked like they were feeling really bad about what they had down Kimiko rolled her eyes, leaning over to grab Raimundo's hand.

"Come on Rai, we'll leave these two **children** to think about their behaviour." Dragging him through the doorway Raimundo smirked; wrapping his arms round her waist he pulled her close.

"You're wonderful."

"Tell me something I don't know." He chuckled before planting a heated kiss against her lips. Burying her hands in his hair she proceeded to take advantage of Raimundo's happy mood. Too say the least, they weren't seen for a while.

Kimiko sat on the roof of the temple, rubbing her hands together in a vain attempt to keep warm. Though it wasn't really working.

"Cold?" She nodded, leaning into Raimundo as he sat down beside her.

"Idiot, how long have we been doing this and you still forget a blanket?" He asked, producing one himself, which he draped over her shoulders

"That's because I know I can count on you." She mumbled, Raimundo rolled his eyes, knowing it was just an excuse. Wrapping an arm round her shoulders he looked up at the dark skies. Star gazing had become an annual event for them, every Sunday they would sit up on the Temple roof and Raimundo would tell her tales of the stars. It usually ended in the pair curling up together and just sitting there, enjoying each other's company.

"Tell me the tale of The Phoenix." Raimundo grinned, it wasn't really a tale. She just liked to hear about it because a firebird was pretty much what Kimiko could be described as. His firebird.

"The Phoenix, a bird of tremendous beauty that was said to live five hundred years ago . . ." She listened intently to his words, one of her hands clutching his shirt firmly in her fist. She didn't let go when he had finished, instead her grip tightened.

"Rai?"

"Yes?"

"Do you really think the Gods put all these creatures in the sky?"

"That's a hard question, to be quite honest I don't know." He whispered quietly, eyes washing over the black sky.

"Don't you ever question that sort of thing?"

"Why would I?" He asked, ignoring her question as he turned to face her. "I have everything I could ever want. I have you." She smiled, the kind of smile that said 'I adore you and nothing will ever change that.' She knew how much it took for Raimundo to voice his feelings and was delighted that he had. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she placed a lingering kiss on his lips.

"You're right."

"I'm always right." He muttered, she laughed and buried her face in his chest. Her eyelids growing heavy as she lay there, basking in the very essence of _him_.

"Time to go to bed, my Phoenix." She smiled, dimly aware of him picking her up and carrying her back inside. Her life wasn't always perfect, but it was pretty damn close.

_Fini! _

Yay! It's done, I hoped you liked it. I might do another on, I might not. Till next time.

No wait. ****

**Important Notice. **I know that there are now a lot of Xiaolin Showdown stories but sadly enough no category to go with our wonderful cartoon. I have asked FFN to put a category up but so far they've ignored me. If any of you want a Xiaolin Showdown category then why not e-mail them as well? It's just an idea. Put it would be nice wouldn't it?

Anyway till next time. MM.


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